Unstable piano

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Arlie,

At 10:04 11/14/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>Yamaha studio pianos are some of my favorites.  However, a nursing home 
>here bought one maybe three or four years ago that is horribly 
>unstable.  It's serial number is P22 246672.


Are you sure it's the piano's fault?  Typically, when it's below 80°F/27°C 
the inmates, er... ah... residents complain that it is bitterly cold.  I'd 
love to leave a temp/humidity gage with max/min readout inside a 
retirement/nursing home for a month, any month.

Last week, I tuned a piano at another college.  Less than 2-yr-old P22 was 
at 89°.  I left my bill noting that fact and got an email on Monday saying 
that the heat had been off earlier in the week and the temp _then_ was 
below 55/13! I had tuned it in August - it was at 434Hz...  Sure glad they 
have the heating system figgured out!


>  The tuning pins actually feel pretty good, and after tuning the piano 
> sounds great.  But a month or so later it'll be way off again.  A Story 
> and Clark Classic Player in the same room and not much older actually 
> maintains its pitch better.  The room serves as meeting room and dining room.


Any crown left on the S&C?


>They had been moving the piano frequently, and I encouraged them to find a 
>good place and leave it there, and they complied.  That has not resulted 
>in a noticeable improvement.
>
>In my experience this is unusual for a Yamaha.  I'm just wondering whether 
>anyone thinks that a humidity system would improve the situation.


IF you think someone would remember to keep it filled,
AND...
IF you don't think the cord will get ripped out when they "don't move it", 
then a system would be ideal and yield much greater tuning stability.




Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
Voice-(563)-387-1204  //  Fax (563)-387-1076(Dept.office)

-The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.